1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for facilitating switching computer connections between electronic peripheral devices, and more specifically, a method and apparatus for preconditioning and switching electronic peripheral device-computer connections wherein dedicated launch buttons automate the preconditioning and the switching.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional phone, e-mail devices, internet systems, electronic address systems, handheld computing devices, personal digital assistants, printers, video conferencing systems, and the like have each typically been connected to a computer by one of a myriad of serial and parallel port connection cords. To connect a particular external device/system, the user was required to connect the particular connection cord, such as a parallel connection RS232 for a printer, to the corresponding port on the computer, and then the user needed to run a set-up program to initialize the external device/system.
In some instances, an infrared connection has been established between the computer and the external peripheral device/system, but since most computers have only one infrared connection port, each time an external peripheral device needed to be utilized with the computer, any previously connected infrared connection peripheral device had to be moved, and the new peripheral device had to be positioned in proximity to the infrared port and initialized. Also, since more extensive error correction is needed for infrared connections than for direct electrical connections, using infrared connections for peripheral devices is typically more expensive than simply using a direct connection cord. Thus, many electronic peripheral devices that couple to computers do not include infrared connection capability.
The introduction of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) has facilitated connections of peripheral devices, since the USB replaces all the different kinds of serial and parallel port connectors with one standardized plug and port combination for computers having USB compatible ports. USB-compliant computers and peripherals may simply be connected with electrical cords having USB connections. The USB eliminates the need to use add-in cards to the computer and also does away with having to reset DIP (dual in-line package) switches or IRQs (interrupt request settings). The USB connection allows the user to attach or remove a peripheral device without turning off the computer and restarting it. The USB also permits multiple USB connections, either by using multiple USB ports on the computer or by daisy-chaining a plurality of peripheral devices and connecting the daisy-chain to the computer. When the USB is connected to a plurality of peripheral devices, the USB connector "senses" the power needed and distributes the required power without the need for a separate power supply attachment.
Thus, there is a need for a method and device to facilitate preconditioned, computer connection to a selected peripheral device of a plurality of peripheral devices.